The deliberate clearance of forest area is known as deforestation. Forests have been cleared for agriculture, animal grazing, and the production of wood for building, manufacture, and fuel throughout history and into the present.Globally, deforestation has significantly changed the terrain. Approximately 2,000 years ago, forests covered 80% of Western Europe; today, that percentage is only 34%. Between the 1600s and the 1870s, over half of North America's eastern woods were cleared for agriculture and lumber. Over the previous 4,000 years, China has lost vast tracts of its woods; today, just over 20% of the country is covered in trees. There